THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG Welcomes New Cast Members

Press release

The Long-Running Hit Comedy
The Play That Goes Wrong
Welcomes
Joanie Anderson as “Annie” beginning June 30
Liana Hunt as “Sandra” beginning July 7
and
Evan Alexander Smith as “Chris Bean” beginning July 11

The Play That Goes Wrong welcomes three new members of the ‘Cornley University Drama Society’ as Joanie Anderson, Liana Hunt, and Evan Alexander Smith join the cast. Joanie Anderson begins performances as “Annie” beginning Monday, June 30th, and Liana Hunt begins performances as “Sandra” on Monday, July 7. Evan Alexander Smith joins as “Chris Bean” from July 11 through August 22. The Play That Goes Wrong is currently celebrating its 8th year in New York City, and its 5th year playing at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).

JOANIE ANDERSON (Annie) Is thrilled to be joining the company of The Play That Goes Wrong. Favorite Regional: By the Way Meet Vera Stark, Sister Act, The Color Purple, RENT, BRING IT ON, Dreamgirls. TV: “L&O Organized Crime”, “Harlem”, “The Last O.G.”, “BULL”, “Blindspot”, “It's Bruno”, “First Wives Club”. BFA in Acting from North Carolina A&T. Thank you to the TPTGW team and About Artists Agency. Sending endless love to my family and Hally Jr, Mommy loves you beyond space and time.

LIANA HUNT (Sandra) Most recently, Liana Hunt originated the role of Lorraine Baines in Back to the Future on Broadway. Other Broadway credits: Newsies (Katherine), Mamma Mia! (Sophie). National Tours: Wicked (Nessarose), Bright Star (Margo), Mamma Mia! (Sophie). Favorite regional: World Premiere of The Devil Wears Prada, The MUNY, The Old Globe, Riverside Theatre. TV/Film: HBO’s The Undoing, Hallmark’s Ghosts of Christmas Always (Betsey), STAG (independent feature). BFA: NYU. @lianamariehunt, www.liana-hunt.com.

EVAN ALEXANDER SMITH (Chris Bean) Evan is thrilled to be returning to the The Play That Goes Wrong after originating the role of Chris on the First National Tour. Broadway: Back To The Future: The Musical (George McFly), Merrily We Roll Along, Amazing Grace. Off-Broadway: Merrily We Roll Along (NYTW), Little Shop of Horrors. National Tours: The Play That Goes Wrong, Dirty Dancing. Canada: The Toxic Avenger (Title role, Dora Award nomination); two seasons at the prestigious Shaw Festival. Film/TV: Elsbeth, Law & Order: SVU, Sub/liminal, A Newport Christmas. Training: George Brown Theatre School, Toronto. @IamEvanSmith

The Play That Goes Wrong cast currently stars Brent Bateman as Robert, Trevor Braun as Dennis, Ashley N. Hildreth as Annie, Kolby Kindle as Trevor, Chris Lanceley as Chris, Adam Petherbridge as Max, Chris French as Jonathan, and Maggie Weston as Sandra, and understudies Damien Brett, Laura D’Andre, Brandon Haagenson, and Jemma Jane.

The Play That Goes Wrong, directed by Matt DiCarlo, opened at New World Stages – Stage 4 on Wednesday, February 20, 2019. The Play That Goes Wrong features set design by Tony Award winner Nigel Hook, costume design by Roberto Surace, lighting design by Jeremy Cunningham, and sound design by Beth Lake. The original Broadway production was directed by Mark Bell and featured lighting design by Ric Mountjoy and sound design by Andrew Johnson.

Co-written by Mischief company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, The Play That Goes Wrong is a riotous comedy about the theatre. The play introduces The ‘Cornley University Drama Society’ who are attempting to put on a 1920s’ murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong…does, as the accident-prone thespians battle on against all odds to get to their final curtain call.

The Play That Goes Wrong is directed by Matt DiCarlo and features set design by Tony Award winner Nigel Hook, costume design by Roberto Surace, lighting design by Jeremy Cunningham, and sound design by Beth Lake. The original Broadway production was directed by Mark Bell and featured lighting design by Ric Mountjoy and sound design by Andrew Johnson.

The Broadway production of The Play That Goes Wrong began performances on March 9, 2017, officially opened on April 2, 2017, and concluded its run on Sunday, January 6, 2019 at The Lyceum Theatre. The Broadway production of The Play That Goes Wrong received the 2017 Tony Award for Best Set Design, a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Best Play, and the Theater Fans Choice Award for Best Play.

Awarded the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and the 2014 WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong is celebrating over a decade of disasters in London’s West End at the Duchess Theatre. The show’s success is a testament to the hard work and determination of a group of drama school graduates who became friends, set up a company under the name “Mischief” and created an extraordinary body of work. The Play That Goes Wrong shows no signs of slowing down since its first performance at a London fringe venue with only four paying customers. Since then, it has played to an audience of over 3.5 million people around the world, with productions in over 49 countries on all continents except Antarctica (where producers fear a frosty reception).

Mischief’s other stage shows include their brand new uproarious spy escapade The Comedy About Spies, currently playing in London's West End until 5 September, Peter Pan Goes Wrong recently had a hit run on Broadway and regularly returns to stages across the UK, Magic Goes Wrong, A Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Mischief Movie Night, and most recently the sell-out UK Tour and West End hit Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle. Their ‘Royal Television Society’ award-winning BBC series The Goes Wrong Show can currently be watched on Broadway HD.

The Play That Goes Wrong is produced Off-Broadway by Kevin McCollum, J.J. Abrams, Kenny Wax, Stage Presence Ltd., Catherine Schreiber, Ken Davenport, Federman-Batchelder / deRoy-Brunish, Damian Arnold / TC Beech, Greenleaf Productions / Bard-Roth, Martian Entertainment / Jack Lane / John Yonover and Lucas McMahon.

MISCHIEF
Mischief Theatre Ltd. was founded in 2008 by a group of acting graduates of LAMDA and began as an improvised comedy group. Mischief performs across the UK and internationally with original scripted and improvised work and also has a programme of workshops. The company is owned and controlled by its original members and is led by a creative group and its directors Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer.

Mischief shows can currently be watched all over the globe with their multi award-winning smash hit The Play That Goes Wrong recently celebrating 10 years in London’s West End, and continues to perform to sell-out audiences in New York. Following its West End premiere Peter Pan Goes Wrong was nominated for Best New Comedy at the Olivier Awards, and in 2022 made its North American premiere in Canada at the Citadel Theatre, Edmonton. Peter Pan Goes Wrong played a limited engagement on Broadway from March-July 2023 starring the original Mischief company, before transferring to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. It regularly tours the UK with limited seasons in the West End. Other hit stage comedies include The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, which played in London for four years, and Groan Ups, both currently performing across Europe. Magic Goes Wrong closed in London in March 2022 after a limited engagement, continuing to wow critics and audiences across the UK until the tour ended in May 2022. Returning to their comedy roots Mischief took 3 shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022, Mischief Movie Night and 2 new shows Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle and Charlie Russell Aims To Please. Following sold-out success in Edinburgh Charlie Russell Aims To Please performed in London for one night only in December 2022. Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle toured the UK until March 2023, recently played a limited season Off Broadway in New York City and made its West End premiere at the Apollo Theatre in March 2024 before touring the UK. Good Luck, Studio opened October 2022 in the UK at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester before a short tour to Salisbury and Guildford. The Comedy About Spies, a new uproarious spy escapade is running in London’s West End until September 2025, followed by a new Goes Wrong production, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, touring the UK from November 2025, including a 7 week run in London’s West End over the holiday season.

In 2017 Mischief Theatre, Kenny Wax and Stage Presence, the producers of all the company’s West End productions, formed Mischief Worldwide Ltd. to manage the rights to all Mischief projects in all artforms. Mischief Worldwide Ltd., based in London, licenses copyrights, trademarks and other Mischief properties to producers, distributors, publishers and others around the world.

Mischief was first seen on television in the Royal Variety Performance of 2015 and subsequently in two BBC One Christmas specials, Peter Pan Goes Wrong (2016) and A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (2017). In 2018 Mischief Worldwide Ltd. and the Anthology Group formed Mischief Screen Ltd., an independent TV production company headed by CEO Hilary Strong. Their Royal Television Society award-winning BBC One series, The Goes Wrong Show, aired in December 2019 with a Christmas special, further episodes in early 2020, and a hit Nativity Goes Wrong Christmas special in 2020. The second BBC series aired in September 2021 on BBC One and iPlayer where the gang tackled a Downton-esque family saga and a US-style prison break drama, with predictably disastrous results. All shows can be watched on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

All the companies develop, create and perform under the single name of Mischief. Mischief is developing new works of comedy for theatre, TV, film and other media.

www.mischiefcomedy.com

Mischief®, Mischief Theatre®, The Play That Goes Wrong® Mind Mangler® and ® are trademarks and registered trademarks of Mischief Worldwide Ltd.